Panel finds no single factor in horse deaths at Churchill Downs. More screening is suggested
A report from horse racingโs federally created oversight panel found no single cause of death among 12 horses at Churchill Downs this spring, but recommends further action and analysis to mitigate risk at the home of the Kentucky Derby.
Churchill Downs to improve track maintenance, veterinary resources for fall meet after horse deaths
Churchill Downs will implement safety measures for its September meet including new track surface maintenance equipment and additional monitoring and equine care following 12 horse deaths before and after the Kentucky Derby that spurred suspension of its spring meet.
Creating a beautiful KY Derby table using what you already have!
Our friend Donna Reynolds joins our show to tell you how to create a beautiful Kentucky Derby set up... with products that you already have around the house! One tip that Donna mentioned is setting up a beautiful hat decorating station for the kids. Here are some easy steps to create a fun Kentucky Derby hat:
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Analysis: Picking Medina Spirit in Preakness is a shaky play
The conversation this week should be about how Medina Spirit ran a sensational race at the Kentucky Derby, raving about how the horseโs rags-to-riches story is just the type of feel-good tale that the world needs in some brutally difficult times.
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Viola's Known Agenda prevails in Florida Derby at Gulfstream
HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. โ Known Agenda owner Vincent Viola kept asking trainer Todd Pletcher the same question over the last few days. โDo you think we really have a shot in the Florida Derby?" Known Agenda ran away from the field in the Florida Derby on Saturday, and might keep on going all the way to Churchill Downs to start the Triple Crown season. Pletcher won the Florida Derby for a record sixth time, and Known Agenda covered the 1 1/8 miles on the dirt in 1 minutes, 49.45 seconds. Viola had to be talked out of a plan to send Known Agenda to the Santa Anita Derby, simply because he didn't think the horse was ready for the Florida Derby.
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Horse racing hopes for return to normal, with fans, in 2021
John Velazquez, right, rides Authentic to win the Breeder's Cup Classic horse race at Keeneland Race Course, in Lexington, Ky., Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020. Many of its best competitors performed at the top of their games on a record-breaking weekend, sparking high expectations for 2021. The sport just hopes that next yearโs schedule returns to normal and that spectators can be in the grandstands enjoying the races. So, I miss the fans.โโIโll be glad when everything gets back to normal and we have the fans back," he said. โWe had a reason to smile again in horse racing and show off to people who were watching what a beautiful sport it is with the excitement and the nervousness," Baffert said.
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In an abnormal year, Breeders' Cup offers a bit of normalcy
Kentucky Derby winner Authentic is taken for a workout at the Breeders' Cup World Championship horse races at Keeneland Race Course Thursday, Nov. 5, 2020, in Lexington, Ky. Authentic is scheduled to run in the Breeders' Cup Classic race Saturday. While it has made for a strange year and compacted path to this weekendโs $31 million Breedersโ Cup world championships at Keeneland, the 14 races running Friday and Saturday at the picturesque track provides some normalcy after a season of upheaval. โThe Breedersโ Cup is perhaps the only sport in which the product on the field has actually benefited from the pandemic,โ NBC Sports analyst Randy Moss said in a network release. Considering concerns about whether the Breedersโ Cup would occur at all, the question almost seems welcome.
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Improbable is 5-2 favorite for Breeders' Cup Classic
8 post position for the Breedersโ Cup Classic and is the 5-2 morning line favorite for the marquee race of the season-ending World Championships at Keeneland. Kentucky Derby champion Authentic, a Baffert pupil who held off Tiz the Law in a wire-to-wire victory at Churchill, will go off at 6-1 from the No. I canโt do any more for him.โFilly Swiss Skydiver, who won last month's Preakness against males and was a Classic pre-entry, opted to run against her own gender in Breeders' Cup Distaff over 1 1/8 miles. โShe was 11 of 11 in the Breedersโ Cup in 2018," he said. 7 post for Breedersโ Cup Juvenile that cap Fridayโs five-race feature card for 2-year-olds.
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House approves bill to combat doping in horse racing
The โHorseracing Integrity and Safety Actโ comes after a series of doping scandals and a rash of horse fatalities in recent years. "Horse racing has long been woven into the fabric of American culture,'' Tonko said during House debate, citing storied names such as Secretariat and Man o' War that โstir the imagination of racing fansโ around the world. The House bill would empower an independent Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority to set uniform, national standards for medication, track safety and testing of horses for performance-enhancing drugs, or PEDs. The legislation is supported by a range of groups, including The Jockey Club, the New York Racing Association and the Humane Society of the United States. โHorse racing is experiencing the most profound crisis in the long history of the sport.
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Authentic set as 9-5 favorite at masked Preakness draw
Kentucky Derby winner Authentic was installed as the 9-5 morning line favorite for the Preakness and drew the No. Authenticโs trainer, Bob Baffert, is undefeated taking the Derby winner to the Preakness, which will be run Saturday without fans. 4 as she looks to be the sixth filly to win the Preakness and first since Rachel Alexandra in 2009. So weโre very pleased with that outcome.โTrainer Steve Asmussen is saddling three horses in the Preakness: No. Mr. Big News was third behind Authentic and Tiz the Law in the Derby.
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Belmont winner Tiz the Law won't run in Preakness
FILE - In this June 20, 2020, file photo, Tiz the Law (8), with jockey Manny Franco up, approaches the finish line on his way to winning the 152nd running of the Belmont Stakes horse race in Elmont, N.Y. Belmont Stakes winner Tiz the Law wont run in next months Preakness, spoiling what would have been a highly anticipated rematch with Kentucky Derby winner Authentic. The Preakness on Oct. 3 at Pimlico concludes this years reconfigured Triple Crown series, which was run out of order because of the coronavirus pandemic. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)Belmont Stakes winner Tiz the Law wonโt run in next monthโs Preakness, spoiling what would have been a highly anticipated rematch with Kentucky Derby winner Authentic. The colt won the shortened Belmont Stakes in New York on June 20 to open the Triple Crown series. By skipping the Preakness, Tiz the Law will have 63 days between the Derby and the BC Classic, which is worth $6 million.
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Authentic's future could include rematch against Tiz the Law
Bob Bafferts latest star achieved that by blowing past Kentucky Derby favorite Tiz the Law to win going away Saturday at Churchill Downs. Though Authentic shattered hopes for a Triple Crown winner this year, he raised questions about what hell do for an encore, which could include a possible rematch against Tiz the Law at the Preakness in Baltimore on Oct. 3. There figures to be other well-rested horses to contend with, though Baffert touted Tiz the Law as a formidable foe at Pimlico Race Course. But those options are for later, and Baffert is happy that Authentic emerged from the Derby in good shape. Right now, at the end of the day Tiz the Law is still going to be tough.
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The Latest: A Kentucky Derby with no fans and a big favorite
Horses run during a race before the 146th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2020, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)LOUISVILLE, Ky. The Latest on the 146th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs (all times EDT):12:30 p.m. Early races have gone off at sunny Churchill Downs in the lead-up to the 146th Kentucky Derby, set to begin without spectators beneath the Twin Spires and with protests against social injustice expected to take place nearby. Tiz the Law enters the $3 million race as the 3-5 morning line favorite for the 16-horse field with odds likely to rise by the scheduled 7:02 p.m. post time. The colt won the Belmont Stakes and can become the first Derby winner from the No. Hes surrounded on the outside in the 1 mile-race by Honor A. P. (5-1, No.
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'Worst Derby Ever': A T-shirt slogan sums up 2020 woes
Military Police, working as security, stand in empty stands before the 146th running of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, Saturday, Sept. 5, 2020, in Louisville, Ky. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)LOUISVILLE, Ky. The Churchill Downs stands are empty and the wagering windows closed. The 146th Kentucky Derby is a surreal distillation of the crises facing the county in 2020. The race, usually in May, is four months late because of the coronavirus pandemic. Wanda Martin lives across from the backside of Churchill Downs. Worst derby ever.
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Authentic wins Ky. Derby, gives Baffert tying 6th victory
Authentic won by 1 1/4 lengths without the usual crowd of 150,000 on hand at Churchill Downs because of the coronavirus pandemic. The bay colt ran 1 1/4 miles in 2:00.61 under John Velazquez, who earned his third Derby victory. Sent off at 3-5 as the biggest Derby favorite in 31 years, Tiz the Law stalked Authentic on the outside before challenging at the top of the stretch. Yes! Baffert shouted in the paddock, where he watched the race on the video screen. Tiz the Law had already won the Belmont, the kickoff to the reconfigured Triple Crown that was run in June at a shorter distance.
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1-eyed Finnick the Fierce scratched from Kentucky Derby
LOUISVILLE, Ky. The field for the Kentucky Derby has been reduced to 16 after Finnick the Fierce was scratched on Friday. He's missing his right eye because of a congenital cataract. Monge said trainer Rey Hernandez, who gets aboard Finnick the Fierce for morning workouts, told him he didn't notice any problem. Monge said if he checks out, Finnick the Fierce could be in consideration for the Preakness on Oct. 3. Finnick the Fierce finished seventh in the Blue Grass Stakes in July, his most recent start.
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Tiz the Law is a big favorite in a Derby unlike any other
Kentucky Derby entry Tiz the Law runs during a workout at Churchill Downs, Friday, Sept. 4, 2020, in Louisville, Ky. The Kentucky Derby still has horses Tiz the Law is the biggest favorite in 31 years but just about everything else makes the 146th edition unlike any other. Quietude cant hurt, said Barclay Tagg, trainer of 3-5 favorite Tiz the Law. Tiz the Law won the Travers by 5 1/2 lengths over the same distance at Saratoga a month ago. A win by Tiz the Law would make Tagg the oldest trainer to win a Derby at age 82.
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From Derby DQ to doping, a chaotic year in horse racing
What happened next set horse racing off on a year-long odyssey of chaos. From a historic DQ to doping, lawsuits to a global pandemic, and then a Triple Crown turned upside down. What happened next set horse racing off on a yearlong odyssey of chaos: from a historic DQ to doping, from lawsuits to a pandemic, and now a Triple Crown turned upside down. Instead of leading off on the first Saturday in May, the Kentucky Derby shifted to Labor Day weekend. Who would have ever thought youd run the Kentucky Derby with no fans? Hall of Fame jockey Mike Smith said.
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Get on the school bus: Tiz the Law looms as Derby favorite
Tiz the Law is 4-0 this year, winning by a combined 16 1/2 lengths. Sent off at 13-1 odds, Funny Cide won by 1 1/2 lengths, thrilling the Sackatoga group that rode school buses to the race. After losing the Belmont, Funny Cide didnt run in the 2003 Travers because of a fever. Funny Cide and Tiz the Law are his biggest horses. There are suggestions that Tagg finally could land in racing's Hall of Fame should Tiz the Law win the Triple Crown.
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Coronavius forces changes for Kentucky Derby jockeys
(AP Photo/Gregory Payan, File)Jockeys riding in the rescheduled 146th Kentucky Derby have to arrive by Monday and then quarantine upon returning to their home tracks, just one of many changes forced by the coronavirus pandemic. Initially, Churchill Downs had proposed an arrival date of Aug. 24 nearly two weeks before the Derby on Sept. 5. Smith will bolster his trip to the Derby with a riding assignment the following weekend at Kentucky Downs near the Tennessee border. Smith will be joined by some other Derby jockeys. Their coronavirus tests from Churchill Downs will be honored at the southern Kentucky track.
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Country House win in 2019 Derby upheld by appeals court
LOUISVILLE, Ky. A federal appeals court has upheld the decision by Churchill Downs stewards that made Country House the winner of the 2019 Kentucky Derby. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit in Cincinnati on Friday affirmed a U.S. District Court decision to dismiss a lawsuit by Gary and Mary West, who own Maximum Security. The Wests sued the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, its executive director, members and stewards after the race in May 2019. The Wests sought to reverse the track stewards decision, contending it violated their rights to due process. Maximum Security won the Pacific Classic at Del Mar on Aug. 22.
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Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas recovering from COVID-19
LOUISVILLE, Ky. Hall of Fame trainer D. Wayne Lukas, a four-time Kentucky Derby winner, is recovering after recently testing positive for COVID-19. His condition was disclosed in a tweet posted by grandson Brady Wayne Lukas. Wayne recently tested positive for COVID-19 and has since been isolating at home and following CDC and health care provider recommendations, his grandson posted on Wednesday. Lukas is based at Churchill Downs in the spring and summer, where he frequently accompanies his horses to the track atop a pony. Lukas has 4,837 career victories and more than $282 million in purse earnings.
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Belmont winner Tiz the Law eyes ambitious summer schedule
He raced to a 3 3/4-length victory Saturday in the Belmont Stakes to open the rescheduled Triple Crown. In 11 weeks, he'll get a chance to avenge that defeat over the same track in the Kentucky Derby. Tiz the Law has an ambitious summer and fall campaign ahead of him if all goes according to plan. He watched Tiz the Law win the Florida Derby on March 28 from his condo near the track and the Belmont at a restaurant in Saratoga Springs. Tiz the Law is atop the leaderboard that determines the 20-horse Kentucky Derby field with 272 points.
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Belmont sets pace for Triple Crown, with Tiz the Law favored
Robin Smullen, left, and Juan Barajas Saldana walk Belmont Stakes hopeful Tiz the Law around the paddock at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., Thursday, June 18, 2020. Now, the ownership group that buys just one or two New York-bred colts a year is back to try again with Tiz the Law. Tiz The Law has been the best 3-year-old since January basically, and he remains that, retired Hall of Fame jockey Jerry Bailey said. Knowlton hasnt seen Tiz the Law race in person since Feb. 3 in Florida because of the pandemic. With all the changes for horses and humans, Tiz the Law remains a calming presence.
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What Would Have Been: Triple Crown finale and French finals
The Belmont Stakes usually wraps up a five-week span that includes the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness. All have been pushed back, though the Belmont Stakes will now go first on June 20. (Richard Rasmussen/The Sentinel-Record via AP, File)The final leg of horse racing's Triple Crown would have been set and the French Open finals would have been contested this week if not for the coronavirus pandemic. All have been pushed back, though the Belmont Stakes will now go first on June 20. TRIVIA BREAK: With the Belmont Stakes being the first Triple Crown race this year, followed by the Kentucky Derby on Sept. 5 and the Preakness on Oct. 3, the Triple Crown will be run out of its usual order for the first time since when?

Report: Justify failed drug test before Kentucky Derby
(CNN) - Triple Crown winner Justify tested positive for drugs in California weeks before he won the Kentucky Derby last year, The New York Times reported. If the state's horse racing officials had followed the rules, the failed drug test would have disqualified the 3-year-old chestnut colt from the famous derby, the paper said in the explosive report Wednesday night. Justify won the Santa Anita Derby on April 7 last year, then failed the drug test after that race, according to the paper. Just over two weeks later, on May 5, Justify won the Kentucky Derby, the first of the three races that make up the Triple Crown. "In addition, I had no input into, or influence on, the decisions made by the California Horse Racing Board," Baffert said.